The forest fire in northern Gyeongsangbuk-do, which began in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province on the 22nd, is expected to continue for six days and be recorded as the worst "monster forest fire" in history. There are three reasons for the expansion of forest fires in northern Gyeongsangbuk-do: high-temperature dry weather and chronic insensitivity to safety, along with the high proportion of pine trees vulnerable to forest fires in the region.

According to the Forest Service's Forestry Statistical Yearbook on the 27th, the area of the Gyeongbuk pine forest reached 457,902 hectares as of 2020. It ranks first in the country, larger than Gyeongsangnam-do (273,111 hectares) and Gangwon-do (258,357 hectares). Pine forests account for 35% of the total forest area, which is also the number one in the country. Pine trees burn 1.4 times hotter than broadleaf trees, and the duration of fire is 2.4 times longer. Forest experts explain that this is because pine resin contains more than 20% of refined substances such as terpentine.

On top of that, the Korean Peninsula's climate in spring also played a role. Usually, from March to May, strong westerly winds caused by high pressure in the south of the Korean Peninsula and low pressure in the north cross Baekdudaegan, making the atmosphere dry and hot.

This is why the Gyeongbuk region, where the Sobaek Mountains are located in the north and west, is inevitably vulnerable to forest fires. Strong winds overlapped. It is analyzed that dry and hot winds caused by the "Go-dong-low" terrain and the "South-North-low" air pressure arrangement have increased the speed of forest fires spreading. After the forest fire broke out, the instantaneous maximum wind speed in the northeastern mountain area of Gyeongsangbuk-do reached around 25m/s. Due to the low precipitation, the moisture content of the fallen leaves, which are "flames" for wildfires, has fallen below 10%, creating conditions that are prone to fire. Even the daytime temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius, more than 10 degrees higher than usual, and the forest fire spread quickly.

Some point out that easy safety awareness has increased the damage of forest fires. A total of 250 wildfires have occurred this year. Among this year's wildfires, 158 cases of cause investigation have been completed, and 110 out of 113 cases (97.3%) came from true stories (失火), excluding 45 cases of unknown cause. Illegal incineration of farming by-products prevalent in rural areas is highly likely to become a spark for wildfires.

[Reporter Kim Song Hyun]